Eddie Royal remembers 9/11

Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal was a 15-year-old high school student in a suburb of Washington D.C. when the terrorist attacked New York City and the nation’s capitol. But it wasn’t just his proximity to the attack on the Pentagon that made yesterday’s 10-year anniversary meaningful.

Royal’s older sister, Christina, is in the Air Force and recently returned from a deployment in Afghanistan. Royal said his sister’s military service has taught him what it really means to be a hero and patriotism for one’s country.

Representatives of each of the military branches, as well as local fire and police departments, will present the flag on the field before kickoff of tonight’s game between the Broncos and Raiders.

Christina Royal is now stationed in Japan.

“I look at her in the same way that people look at us,” Royal said. “I feel like they should be the ones getting all the credit and all the attention.”

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.